Though challenges exist and their future may be uncertain, it seems that American citizens and organizations, and even some government agencies, are fired up about growing perennial edibles in public areas. Assuming this trend continues, could it change the way we view our public landscapes and their capacity to provide each of us with at least an occasional free, fresh-picked snack?

Bush cherries (Prunus tomentosa) produce small, semi-sour fruits that attract berry-loving birds and also humans who like to graze as they wander.

12 responses to “A Growing Trend in the U.S.: Food Forests”

I really like the idea of food forests and hope the idea continues to catch on. There doesn’t seem to be much of a downside to utilizing otherwise wasted space to grow some locally acclimated fruits and veggies.

I use Alpine strawberries as a form of ground cover, bird attractor, and if I’m lucky get some for myself. They grow like weeds and look good most of the season. Can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t work in a public park, but someone is going to have to be out there weeding a few times a year. Right now all the cities have to do is mow the lawn, I’m wondering if the weeding will be done by volunteers? I can’t imagine that any city has the budget to pay it’s employees to weed.

Seems like many of the projects are spearheaded or sponsored by an enthusiastic group of citizen gardeners, so I imagine they are going to step in and maintain the areas, as well as replanting when necessary, etc. There are some native edibles, and native companion plants that bring in pollinators, and I would hope the designs will include those. Every project is different. We can only hope that, as this idea spreads, good models will come to the fore so they can be adapted by other locations.

I love this idea too. It should absolutely include natives because I live in Texas and so many things can’t take the intense heat. But to me the garden really can foster a real sense of community and connectedness and I am all for anything that does that!

This would be a great idea…. I understand about the liabilities though, it would have to be weeded to prevent someone especially children from picking and eating something that is inedible. Why can’t this be some type of non-profit organization set up where people can donate money to it and volunteers can sign up to weed the grounds when needed. I think it would be amazing if properly executed!